Footprints in our Memories

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

21 Jun 2006 08:56 PM

You know, when my daughter was born, I was surprised that not only did they not take a footprint or handprint of her - they didn't even issue her a birth certificate. In fact, a lot of hospitals don't anymore - they give you a letter of registration. It basically informs people that you had a child and some key data about the child.

If you want a birth certificate, you have to send off for it. I was more than a little startled about that, but I did end up getting her birth certificate and it's nothing really fancy - just her name, birth date and parent names on some fancy colored paper.

But, alas there were no footprints or handprints.

One of the grandmothers made me a beautiful cross-stitch of footprints with her name and birth date on it and that's what gave me the idea. I headed off to locate a footprint and handprint kit from the local Babies R Us. They have them at Michaels and Target and Wal-mart too - they are handy little kits that you can use to make a keepsake of their footprint or handprint in clay or in ink.

You can frame the footprint or the handprint and hang them up on the wall. While these are not only great keepsakes, they are ideal for you to keep for identification purposes. These kits are great for gifts for new parents and they are great for parents to buy - I want to get another one and cast my daughter's foot now at 5 from when she was a baby and hang them side-by-side.

Casting the Memories

On the sidewalk, about a dozen feet from his front door, my husband's grandfather has a concrete cast of my husband's hands from when he was a child. You can go up to them and put your hand to those handprints and imagine the little boy that he was then. Recently, my daughter went and laid her hands in those prints and was amazed - her hands were almost as big as her daddy's were at that time.

Your baby is only a baby for such a short and precious time - don't let this moment get away from you. The handprints and footprints are great as gifts for grandparents and for keepsakes, baby books and much more.

Have you taken your baby's handprints or footprints?

Related Articles:

Mom's Day Memory Books

The True Definition of Preserving Your Memories

Baby Books: Are You Keeping Track?

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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